Stephen Hawking Predicts the End of Humanity, Again

Stephen Hawking Predicts the End of Humanity, Again

gizmodo.com

Stephen Hawking, brilliant astrophysicist and nefarious alien doomsday prophet, is again atop his soapbox preaching the end of humanity should we not board spaceships and colonize the solar system and beyond.

(visit the link for the full news article)

He's made the "get your ass to Mars or anywhere else but earth, humanity or die" prophecy claim before, mind you, but this time around he's fine tuned it with a time range: Two centuries.

Here's Mr. Hawkins own words

"The human race shouldn't have all its eggs in one basket, or on one planet. Let's hope we can avoid dropping the basket until we have spread the load," he said in an interview with BigThink:

There's even a video attached to the article. Do you think Hawkin's assertions have some merit? I doubt though humankind can have sufficient technology within 2 centuries to "spread the load" outside earth. What's your take on it?

Gee! hope it doesn't end like this





gizmodo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Is the mocking done?
Do you think nothing bad will ever happen to the earth?
There are an insane amount of space related disasters that could strike our planet within minutes, and I highly doubt God is going to be there to save the planet from being roasted by a gamma ray burst.

[edit on 9-8-2010 by hippomchippo]

You don't believe we'd have the means or technology to colonize other planets in 200 years? But look how far we come in the 20th century, and according to most futurists, the singularity will happen by 2050. So that means mind uploading would be a reality, at least in their minds. Imagine the space they'll save!

The following post is just my opinion, nothing more.

I believe that Dr Hawkins has it right. We are due for another mass extinction event and human are becoming more agressive towards each other on a daily basis. If we dont start to think about our future, there may be no future to consider. I am all for countries pooling resources and getting us off this rock and onto another one. Just as he said, all our eggs in one basket is no way to guarantee our survival.

I agree with the Prof. on this.
It would be the only long term way of sustaining our species survival.

The sun will not be stable for ever...
And the Earth is hardly stable now.

So go for it,head for the stars.
Its our destiny IMO.

Looks like it will be the private companies who get it done sooner than any governments these days-They seem to have more "vision" in terms of space as a tourist destination(therefore profit).

If thats what it takes to kick start something far more ambitious,I am all for it.

If I had my way though I would put Bill Stone in charge,That guy has a plan...

www.ted.com...

Originally posted by hippomchippo
Is the mocking done?
Do you think nothing bad will ever happen to the earth?
There are an insane amount of space related disasters that could strike our planet within minutes, and I highly doubt God is going to be there to save the planet from being roasted by a gamma ray burst.

[edit on 9-8-2010 by hippomchippo]

Something bad can happen to the Earth in 5 minutes, at any moment in time and space a star can burst and the gamma ray will reach us. It will be too late by the time that we detect it. So there is just nothing that we can do about it. Who knows if God will save the planet. Maybe the planet in whole is not worth saving. Maybe only a selected few will be saves who knows???
We can't know & won't know for sure!!!

I think that we as humans forget the dangers that exist you know why, cuz then we would just live in a primordial fear of everything. Just live today and if you get roasted atleast you led a happy life. Live like there is no tomorrow, but you can't forget that tomorrow will come so you can't be irresponsible either

It is my belief that we have the technology now to colonize another planet. We're just not sure where we want to go yet.

The big question to me is who will leave earth to represent humans?

If only the super wealthy are the chosen ones then we will have not done anything good. The new earth will turn sour just as this earth has.

Maybe it will be determined by a lottery system with the qualified humans having passed a literacy and genetic test. Also no one with a criminal record could be accepted.

It won't include me as I will be long gone but it will affect my great grandchildren.

And give this old woman a small break......Hawkins is very intelligent but could be dead wrong on this issue.

Originally posted by hippomchippo
Is the mocking done?

Noone is mocking Hawkin's least of all myself. Just posted the snippet from the article.

Do you think nothing bad will ever happen to the earth? There are an insane amount of space related disasters that could strike our planet within minutes, and I highly doubt God is going to be there to save the planet from being roasted by a gamma ray burst. [edit on 9-8-2010 by hippomchippo]

Never said nothing bad will happen to the planet. Just asked the views on Hawkin's statements.

The problem I have with this.

In consideration of the terrible things we have done to this planet, the way we take advantage of the life and beauty it holds and gives us in the most destructive and wasteful way, I have to pity the planet and it's possible inhabitants who have the misfortune to have humanity notice and step foot on them.

The way we behave at the moment anyway.

If we can't take care of this planet and don't change, who is to say we will look after the next? Are we doomed to be a race of beings that goes from planet to planet, using their resources, destroying it's life and living of it like parasites before moving to the next planet, like locusts to a crop?

If there is life out there and it is able to defend itself, the way we behave, we would soon run into trouble and be perceived as a threat to galactic peace.

Even the term "colonising space" speaks of the greatest of human arrogance in regards to space, no different to speaking of colonisation in Victorian times and the horrors that brought.

Awful.

[edit on 9-8-2010 by Regensturm]

In the words of Brian Blessed "LET'S GET OUT THERE!"

www.contactmusic.com...

It would be an awesome way to unify the Earth, a common goal, not global governance, but a massive project to head to Mars or further a field.

When i was a kid I though we would be out there by now I am very disappointed in the lack of funding for such projects!!

reply to post by EFGuy


So you know the guy you are criticizing is named Hawking, NOT Hawkins right????

Give him at least enough respect to spell his name correctly while you cut him down.

And saying he made "prophesies" is just silly. He is speculating and theorizing, not "prophesying".

[edit on 9/8/2010 by Chamberf=6]

Originally posted by qbanthinker305

Originally posted by hippomchippo
Is the mocking done?
Do you think nothing bad will ever happen to the earth?
There are an insane amount of space related disasters that could strike our planet within minutes, and I highly doubt God is going to be there to save the planet from being roasted by a gamma ray burst.

[edit on 9-8-2010 by hippomchippo]

Something bad can happen to the Earth in 5 minutes, at any moment in time and space a star can burst and the gamma ray will reach us. It will be too late by the time that we detect it. So there is just nothing that we can do about it. Who knows if God will save the planet. Maybe the planet in whole is not worth saving. Maybe only a selected few will be saves who knows???
We can't know & won't know for sure!!!

I think that we as humans forget the dangers that exist you know why, cuz then we would just live in a primordial fear of everything. Just live today and if you get roasted atleast you led a happy life. Live like there is no tomorrow, but you can't forget that tomorrow will come so you can't be irresponsible either

Or we could save our species from extinction by visiting other stars and planets and putting some humans there?

Why would you want the earth and everything in it to be destroyed?

I like Dr Hawkings, he has some cool ideas. I think that we as a human society come together can do anything that we set our minds too do.

As is the story in the book of Genesis Chapter 11 verse 5-6

5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. 6 The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.

I guess the question would be will God allow us to do this without being scattered like the people of Babel.

Originally posted by EFGuy

Originally posted by hippomchippo
Is the mocking done?

Noone is mocking Hawkin's least of all myself. Just posted the snippet from the article.

Do you think nothing bad will ever happen to the earth? There are an insane amount of space related disasters that could strike our planet within minutes, and I highly doubt God is going to be there to save the planet from being roasted by a gamma ray burst. [edit on 9-8-2010 by hippomchippo]

Never said nothing bad will happen to the planet. Just asked the views on Hawkin's statements.

The article was mocking him, making him out to be a crazy doom and gloom guy, if you can't see that, you aren't reading the article.

reply to post by Regensturm


I have to say that this is endemic of the human race as a whole, but in terms of space exploration and science this is not the case.

In the quest for accuracy scientists are very careful not to contaminate samples. Also space exploration has to be incredibly efficient so the wasteful nature of the human race is simply not practical.

I predict that if we ever to begin to travel to other planets we will be going out there with a different attitude than is currently held by the common man.

What I don't understand is the concept that the human race needs saving.
Natural selection will determine whether or not the species survives.
Eventually, this planet will recover from the ravages and excesses the human race has subjected it to thus far.
Insistence is futile.

gj

Originally posted by Big Raging Loner

I predict that if we ever to begin to travel to other planets we will be going out there with a different attitude than is currently held by the common man.

I hope you're right. I really do.

But I have my doubts at this time.

[edit on 9-8-2010 by Regensturm]

Dr Hawking seems to have majored in stating the obvious at Cambridge uni... Well... Duhhh good doctor!

The fact that anything can happen to the planet 5 mins form now sounds to me like a pretty good reason for sending folks on space missions...at least some of us would survive,even if off in a tin can,or on a nearby rock.

But in the future,Bill Stone and others working with Stephen Hawkings ideas,developing them-That I would love to see.

Heres one I would do if money was not an issue-

Employ German and Japanese car compaines such as VW,honda to design for me a modular robotic factory which could be programmed to manufacture anything from small parts to complex machines.

(They do this pretty well these days)

This factory,built in modules which themselves are intelligent(on board computer)is sent on many rockets(bought from the Russians,or build new),off to the moon,where they assemble,with help from earth based technicians,via satt comms.

The robot factory,then assembles the first ever moonbase-and then assembles robots who go on to build the moon base.

When complete,the eathlings have a moonbase,built by robots,ready to use.

Of course this would take years to plan,as the factory robot modules would all have to be tested on earth,to iron out any bugs before hand.

Sounds complicated yes,but look at some of these modern robotics they use in industry today,and I think its within our grasp now-all we need is the money behind it-the tech is there,so long as you split it up into lots of small modules it could all be taken to the moon with todays rockets.

Plus the first company who manages to get the monopoly on moon base tourism is going to reap profits the likes of which they can only dream...
THERES the incentive for them